Health Effects of Second-hand Smoke

Around 350 New Zealanders die each year because of exposure to other people’s tobacco smoke. This makes second-hand smoke the leading environmental cause of death in this country.

Non-smokers who breathe second-hand smoke suffer many of the same diseases as regular smokers. Heart disease as well as lung and nasal sinus cancers have been associated with second-hand smoke exposure. Even short-term exposure to second-hand smoke does real damage. For example, if you spend just 30 minutes in a smoky venue, you risk damaging the lining of your arteries, your blood will become more sticky and you will increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Exposure of non-smoking women to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can reduce foetal growth. Second-hand smoke also causes immediate effects such as eye and nasal irritation, headache, sore throat, dizziness, nausea, cough, and respiratory problems.

The small lungs and lighter weight of young children make them particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Their exposure is linked to:

• middle ear infections (including glue ear)


• lower respiratory illnesses (including croup, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia)


• the onset of asthma and worsening of asthmatic symptoms


• reduced lung growth


• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, or cot death)


• meningococcal disease.

There is also some evidence that second-hand smoke has an effect on children’s learning development and behaviour.

For more health effects information, see the second-hand smoke fact sheets, and the second-hand smoke reports.